This invention relates to a retainer device for conductors in an electrical raceway, particularly one which allows the electrical conductors to be kept grouped together in a bundle, the conductors being housed in a raceway of the type formed by a U-shaped base section defining side walls and a bottom wall, associated with a flattened cover section, with the ensemble defining a raceway and, more particularly, in one of these raceway in which the base section is provided in the walls thereof with equal equidistant narrow transverse slots which define therebetween tabs which, jointly, form a comb-like arrangement. The invention also relates to the use of a retainer according to the invention.
Devices for retaining the electrical conductors of a bundle thereof contained in a raceway having walls devoid of openings are known. Such retainers are attached only to the bottom wall of the duct and are provided with means for locating longitudinal dividing members, such as those disclosed in Spanish utility model 196,298, in which the retainer device is formed by a warped, closed annular member and in Spanish utility model 199,304, in which the retainer device is formed by a plurality of open stirrups defined by arrangements of pairs of walls which, extending from a common base, project the free ends thereof inwardly in curved confronting form, leaving a narrow open passage therebetween. In both cases of the above retainer devices, it so happens that a device is required for each width of raceway, whereby the transverse linking thereof is not contemplated. Furthermore, means for inserting longitudinal sheet-like partitions are contemplated in both cases.
The known retainer devices, the purpose of which is to prevent the electrical conductors from coming out of the raceway when the cover is removed therefrom for working on the conductors, have one or another of the drawbacks listed hereafter: to insert a new conductor in the bundle it must be threaded through the retainer devices, when these are of the closed type; where the retainer devices are open, the passage therein reduces the reliability of retention; and, in all cases, the devices are attached only to the bottom wall of the raceway, whereby since they do not bind the raceway walls together, no increase in the strength thereof is achieved.
Thus, with a view to overcoming the above drawbacks, the solution has been adopted of giving the retainer devices the structure of openable rings which are attached to the bottom wall and to the side walls of the raceway and which may be coupled together transversely to be adapted to all widths of the raceways with a minimum number of elements.
According to the foregoing solution, the retaining device of the invention has been developed. It is formed by an open narrow annular member of right prismatic profile. The sides thereof correspond to the right internal cross section of the raceway base section to which it is directed. The member is provided with a bottom portion, two wall portions and two free end portions, all mating with the internal shape of the said base section. The two free end portions are located at the level of the open side of the base section, facing each other in overhanging fashion and partly overlapping, at the same time as the two wall portions are provided with connecting means interacting with the walls of the base section and/or with the wall portion of an adjacent member, and the bottom portion is provided with means for connection to the bottom wall of the raceway base section.
It is a feature of the invention that the narrow annular members are provided on the surfaces of the wall portions thereof which contact the inner surfaces of the raceway base section side walls with a retaining projection as means for connecting them to the said base section walls. It is likewise contemplated that the retaining projections of one and the other of the wall portions of the narrow annular members are situated in the center of the width of said wall portions or are located at opposite edges, so as to be symmetrical about a point.
A further feature of the invention is that the retaining projections may be anchored to the walls of the raceway base section through the narrow slots of the latter and on two adjacent transverse strips thereof. To this end, the retaining projections are T-shaped, where the stem has the same width as the narrow slots of the raceway base section and a length equal to the thickness of the base section walls and the passage of the companion transverse cutaways, while the free arms of the crossbar are shorter than half of the width of the transverse strips against which they bear.
Yet a further feature of the invention is that the narrow annular members are provided at the two wall portions thereof with a transverse notch which is disposed at the same level as the retaining projections and on the opposite edges thereto and is dimensioned such as to allow engagement with the stem of the projection of the wall portion of an adjacent annular member.
According to the invention, the base portion is extended transversely by at least one tab which is provided with an aperture and allows the accessory to be attached to the bottom wall of the raceway in which it is located or to a support surface.
Also according to the invention, the two free end portions are slightly overlapping, the portion situated in the lower position being slightly inclined, and have the end edges thereof rounded.
Finally according to the invention, it is also contemplated that the narrow annular member of prismatic profile may be provided with an inner partition wall, parallel to the wall portions. This partition extends from the bottom portion and is provided at the free end thereof with a terminal acting with the free end portions in the sense of facilitating the insertion of the electrical cables and preventing accidental removal therefrom.
A further object of the invention is the use of said retainer devices, which are for retaining conductors in raceways, preferably if said raceways are of the type formed by the association of a U-shaped base section with a cover section, of flattened shape, in which said base section is provided on the walls thereof with a plurality of equal equidistant narrow slots defining therebetween outstanding tabs or transverse strips which, jointly, form a comb-like arrangement.